


Tennessee Flat-Top Box

by hellpenguin



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-17
Updated: 2007-08-17
Packaged: 2017-10-08 05:15:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/73072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellpenguin/pseuds/hellpenguin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every day, on his way from the Cafe to the campus, Professor Rodney McKay passes by a street musician with funky hair who plays Johnny Cash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tennessee Flat-Top Box

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aesc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aesc/gifts).



> inspired by this pic: http://i12.tinypic.com/6cestxf.jpg

The first day he sees him, Rodney is rushed, hurrying on to teach his next class. He has two minutes to get from the local cafe to the campus. He waits at the crosswalk for the light, waiting waiting waiting, growing impatient, and music eases into his awareness. He turns and there's this guy.

This guy with crazy hair and a guitar, leaning against the building behind him, behind Rodney, playing Johnny Cash.

And Rodney can't focus on his anger at the stoplight when there's music drifting lazily out from behind him, and suddenly there's singing, too.

"I'm a poor wayfaring stranger while traveling through this world of woe," the guy sings, and his voice is low and gravelly, slow and delicious. Rodney doesn't realize the light says 'walk' until the crowd behind him pushes around him. He turns and is swept away, into the street, back to his classes.

\- - - - - - -

The second day he sees him, he's three minutes from his next class, a large cup of coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other. He speed-walks to the stoplight and notices, before hearing the music, that the 'wayfaring stranger' is back. He expects to hear "Solitary Man" or "Country Boy" but as he draws nearer, it's the dulcet tones of "Tennessee Stud".

"The Tennessee Stud was long and lean, the color of the sun and his eyes were green," the guy sings, leaning back against the cool brick of the building. There's an open guitar case at his feet, and Rodney notices about a dollar in change inside.

It's a long light again, and Rodney lets his eyes wander over the guy. He's in all black, which is ridiculous for the beginning of summer, tight black t-shirt gently worn and tugging in all the right spots on his lean frame. When he looks up at the guy's eyes, he notices that they're almost green in the light, green and looking straight at Rodney.

Rodney blushes, stuffs the rest of his bagel in his mouth, fumbles in his pocket, and tosses a five-dollar-bill into the guy's guitar case. He retrieves the bagel just as the light changes. The guy looks from the bill to Rodney's eyes and smiles, genuine, and Rodney's heart does a weird jumpy thing as he steps off the curb.

\- - - - - - - -

The next day, Rodney looks for the guitar guy the moment he leaves the cafe. He's prepared, this time- three dollars in small change in his right pocket, jingling like bells as he approaches the corner. The guy's not slouching against the building this time, but leaning, hip cocked on the bricks, tuning his guitar.

Rodney watches him out of the corner of his eye as he checks his watch. He actually has ten minutes until his next class this time. He watches as the guy notices him, as his eyes slide up Rodney's body and he stands up straighter, leans his shoulder blade against the bricks. Rodney's face burns.

And then the guy starts right away into "Ballad of A Teenage Queen" and Rodney turns to look at him sharply.

"There's a story in our town of the prettiest girl around- golden hair and eyes of blue (how those eyes could flash at you)," and then he looks directly into Rodney's eyes and smirks, self-confidence oozing off of him and Rodney looks away very fast. "How those eyes could flash at you." And the light changes and Rodney forgets to put any money in the case.

\- - - - - - -

The next day, Rodney walks straight up to him as he's tuning his guitar.

"Please don't tell me your name is Sue." The guy looks up and barks out a laugh, short and loud.

"No," he says, "It's John."

\- - - - - - -

Friday, Rodney leaves the cafe and knows he doesn't have a class for an hour. He walks straight over to John and hands him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," John mumbles, puts down the cup, and picks up his guitar.

"I can't believe you're wearing all black. Are you one of those Goths? Or are you in mourning all the time? Are you just a glutton for punishment?" John raises one eyebrow and takes an experimental thrum. Then he smiles, quick and dirty, and starts playing.

"Well, you wonder why I always dress in black, why you never see bright colors on my back, and why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone. Well, there's a reason for the things I have on," he wiggles his eyebrows as Rodney groans.

"Stop, just stop." John just changes key and rhythm, switching right into another song.

"I fly a starship across the Universe divide, and when I reach the other side-"

"No, no no! Please, you'll give me a migraine! Don't you know anything other than Johnny Cash?!"

And John puts his hand over the strings to hush them.

"Well, there's this." And he starts playing. And Rodney recognizes the song. And then John sings, in a falsetto, even: "Far across the distance and spaces between us-"

"Wait, did you just-"

"You have come to show you go on-"

"Are you singing-"

"Near, far, wherever you are-"

"You are! You're singing Celine-"

"I believe that the heart does go on." And Rodney grabs the guitar and John starts laughing.

Rodney puts his guitar down carefully. Then he leans forward, grabs John's face with both hands, and kisses him against the cool brick wall.

There's nothing but silence for a half second, and then John's kissing him back, leaning into him, laughing into his mouth and it's perfect. It's perfect and John _serenaded_ him with _Celine Dion_ and Rodney hasn't been this happy in ages. John's his very own Tennessee Stud and Rodney's a Teenage Queen and he couldn't care less, because he's kissing John.

He's kissing a street musician and he's late for his class, and they just kicked over John's coffee and it's spilling all over the sidewalk, a dark stain around their shoes and John's hands are under Rodney's shirt and Rodney's hands are in John's hair and it's perfect. And then John pulls away, panting.

"Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or does Celine Dion turn you on that much?"

"What?" Rodney can't think for all the fog of lust in his head and then he realizes he grabbed a roll of quarters to give to John for his playing and forgot. John nudges Rodney's hip pocket with his own and Rodney gasps for the flood of heat up his body from that point of contact.

Rodney shakes his head and leans forward again, his pocket jingling. He presses his hips into John's, until John is pinned between him and the wall, until John gasps in air and arches his back, until John's hands tighten on Rodney's hips. Rodney leans in and breathes into John's neck.

"Both, Johnny. Both." 


End file.
